Creativity and movement in Attack: free Exercises

Attacking creativity has certainly come under fire in recent months as TV pundits have criticized the tactical nature of the modern game and the perceived dependency on structure. But how do we actually coach attacking freedom? There has always been a structure of some kind in elite football, but perhaps the challenge for coaches today is to unlock more creativity at the right moments. As defensive units become organized more efficiently, the bar has certainly been raised in terms of difficulty level. In this week's MSC Breakdown, we take a look at three ways that organized attacking systems can potentially apply more freedom of movement in the final third.

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Below are the dimensions and breakdowns for each exercise discussed in the video.

8v7 Final Third Movement

• Fifteen players are organized into an attacking group of four with two attacking midfielders, a back four with two holding midfielders, and a goalkeeper for the central and wide goals

• Exercise takes place in the final third with an adjusted V-Shaped area centrally

• Attacking team uses the wide goalkeepers as a 'Plus Two' overload as they look to create an score against the back six in the central goal

• Players can move anywhere in the area, but the nature of the pitch makes it difficult for them to rotate early in the build

• Defensive team can score in either of the mini-goals as soon as they win possession

6v6+2 Wide Players Freedom in Attack

• Fourteen players are organized into two teams of five, plus two GKs and two wide neutrals

• Exercise takes place inside a 40x30 yard area with two 5-yard wide zones

• Teams are organized with two center backs, two center midfielders and one forward

• Game starts from the goalkeeper where the possession team are looking to build - the two wide neutrals act as supporting players and must stay on the outside channels

• Once the ball is progressed into the attacking half of the field, the wide players are free to support in the central area and create a 3v2 overload towards goal

• If possession is lost, the neutrals switch roles and play for the attacking team

4v4 Attacking Freedom vs Set Defenders

• Players are organized into four attackers against four defenders plus a GK

• Exercise takes place in the final third 25 yards from goal

• Coach serves into the attacking team who start in their initial zones - 1v1 on the outside channels and 2v2 on the inside

• Once the ball enters the field, attackers are free to move anywhere on the field but defenders are restricted to their initial zones

• Attacking team has a shot-clock of 15 seconds to score

• If defenders win possession, they can score in either mini-goal for 2 points